Device for holding skis and ski poles



Feb. 27, 1968 R. c. WOOLWORTH 3,370,766

DEVICE FOR HQLDING SKIS AND SKI POLES Filed March 1, 1966 United States-Patent O 3,370,766 DEVICE FOR HOLDING SKIS AND SKI POLES Richard G. Woolworth, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Old Pal Inc., Lititz, Pa. Filed Mar. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 530,880 Claims; (Cl. 224-45) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a device for holding skis and ski poles.

More particularly, the device according to the invention is particularly useful for holding skis and ski poles for transport or for storage. Skis and ski poles because of their considerable length are frequently awkward to transport or to store, especially to transport by hand. The device of the invention is particularly adapted to hold skis and ski poles for hand transport. However, it may be readily adapted for use as an external rack on an automobile.

The carrying of skis and ski poles by hand is particularly awkward, as will be apparent to anyone who .has engaged in this activity. The device of the invention permits the skis and ski poles to be readily carried together by the use of only one hand, leaving the other hand free.

Briefly, the device of the invention comprises a frame, cam means rotatably mounted on the frame, and fingers mounted on and projecting outwardly from the frame, the cam means and the fingers being spaced to accommodate a ski or a ski pole between the fingers and the cam means.

It is a particular advantage of the present invention that the cam means makes it possible for the device of the invention to readily accommodate skis and ski poles of'varying transverse dimension. This advantage is obtained by providing cam means in the form of polygonal members, each being oblong and/ or having an eccentric axis of rotation. Preferably, the polygonal member constituting each of the cams is provided with a pair of wingsfor facilitating gripping of the cam for rotation thereof.

In operation, a cam is rotated to a position so as to define an adequate space between one of its sides and an adjacent set of the fingers to permit insertion in the space of a particular ski or ski pole. Then, the cam is rotated to a position. at which another of its sides bears against the ski or ski pole to urgev the ski or ski pole against the set of fingers, whereby the ski or ski pole is locked between the cam and the 'set of fingers. When it is desired to release the ski or ski pole for removal thereof from the device, the cam is rotated to a position in which a side thereof no longer bears against the ski or ski pole.

In a particularly useful embodiment of the invention, three cams and four sets of fingers, preferably sets of two, are provided. The sets of fingers alternate with the cams. Two of the sets of fingers each define with an adjacent one of the earns a space to accommodate a ski. The other two of the sets of fingers define with a cam adjacent to both of them two spaces to accommodate two ski poles.

The fingers of a set will generally be laterally spaced in opposed directions from the adjacent cam with which the set of fingers cooperates to hold a ski or a ski pole. This arrangement provides the requisite gripping action when the cam is rotated into a locking position, i.e., into a 3,370,766 Patented Feb. 27, 1968 position in which a side of the cam bears against a ski or ski pole to urge the same against the set of fingers. Preferably, the fingers are each provided with a sheath of rubber or other material having a similarly high coefficient of friction. The purpose of the sheath is to help prevent the ski or ski pole from sliding longitudinally when gripped in the device of the invention, though generally the gripping itself is adequately firm to prevent such slipping.

The device of the invention may be constructed of any hard durable material such as a plastic or a metal. It is found particularly convenient to construct the entire device of a plastic with the exception of the pivot pins for the cams, which are made of a metal, and the sheaths for the fingers, which are made of rubber.

A handle is preferably provided at one end of the frame for carrying the device with or without skis and ski poles mounted on the device.

The invention will now be further described by reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the device of FIG. 1, in section through section line 2-2;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of a finger of the device of FIG. 1, in section through section line 3-3;

' FIG. 4 is an elevation view of another finger of the device of FIG. 1, in section through section line 4-4.

The device consists essentially of a frame 16, cams 11 and 11', and fingers 13 and 13'.

Cams 11 and 11' are rotatably mounted on a center member 12 of the frame 10 by means of pivot pins 24. Pivot pins 24 hold the cams 11 and 11' firmly against the center member 12, whereby the cams 11 and 11 will remain in any position to which they are turned by virtue of the friction between the underside of the cam and the face of the center member 12.

The cams 11 and 11' are each provided with a pair of wings 20 and 20' which may conveniently be gripped when it is desired to rotate the cam.

Each of the cams 11 and 11' is a polygonal member. The cam 11 is oblong and, as illustrated, its sides vary in length. The cams 11 each have an eccentric axis of rotation and, as illustrated, their sides vary in length. As indicated by the arrows (FIG. 1) the cams 11 and 11 are rotatable in either direction. Viewing the invention in retrospect, it should be apparent that the provision of oblong shape and/or sides of different length and/or eccentric mounting of the cams renders the device adjustable to accommodate skis and ski poles of varying transverse dimension.

The fingers 13 and 13' project outwardly from the peripheral member 14 of the frame 10.'The peripheral member 14 is generally quadrilateral, having some curvature as'illustrated. Brace members 15 of the frame 10 interconnect the peripheral member 14 with the center member 12 and thereby provide added rigidity to the structure of the frame 10. At one end of the frame 10 there is provided a handle 23 to facilitate carrying of the device, particularly when ski poles 21 and skis 22 are mounted thereon,

The lower set of fingers 13 and the two sets of fingers 13' are inclined slightly upwardly and the upper set of fingers 13 is inclined slightly downwardly (FIG. 2).

Fingers 13 are each constituted of a straight finger member 16 provided with a rubber sheath 17 (FIG. 3). Finger members 13' are each constituted of a hooked finger member 18 provided with a rubber sheath 19 (FIG. 4).

Each ski 22 is placed in the space between a pair of the fingers 13' and one of the cams 11', each cam 11' having been pre-rotated to a position whereby an adequate space is defined between the cam 11' and the pair .of fingers 13'. The fingers 13' support thelower edge of the ski 22 as viewed in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The hooked end of each of the finger members18 prevents the ski 22 from being displaced outwardly away from the frame 10. The cam 11' is then rotatedin either direction until one of its sides bears firmly against the upper edge of the ski 22. By this operation, the ski 22 is firmly locked between a pair of the fingers 13' and one of the cams 11'. There is a cam and a pair of fingers for each of the two skis and each is locked in position in the very same manner. To release the skis, each of the earns 11 is rotated in either direction until each of the cams 11' no longer bears against the upper edge of a respective one of the skis 22. Each of the skis 22 may then simply be lifted from the frame 10.

To place the ski poles 21 in position preliminary to locking them, the cam 11 is rotated to a position permitting insertion of one of the ski poles 2 1 between the cam 11 and the upper pair of fingers 13 and of the other ski Pole 21 between the cam 11 and the lower pair of fingers 13. Then, to lock the ski poles, the cam 11 is rotated in either direction to a position at which one of the sides of the cam 11 bears firmly against one of the ski poles 21 and another side of the cam 11 bears firmly against the other of the ski poles 21. Thus, the ski poles 21 are now locked between the cam 11 and the respective pairs of fingers 13. The downward inclination outwardly from the frame of the upper pair of fingers 13 and the upward inclination outwardly from the frame 10 of the lower pair of fingers 13 each prevent a respective one of the ski poles 21 from being displaced outwardly away from 'the frame 10. To unlock the ski poles 21, the cam 11 is rotated to a position at which sides thereof no longer bear against the ski poles 21, thus permitting lifting of the ski poles 21 from the frame 10.

This invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular form disclosed herein, since this is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a ski holding and transporting device, the improvement comprising:

a frame means having a handle means and having generally planar surface portions against which the generally planar base surface of a ski can abut; V a first set of spaced apart ski supporting fingers projecting from said surface portions in axially aligned relationship longitudinally of a ski to be held and transported to thereby enable'a side edge of such ski to abut against said fingers; s a second set of spaced apart ski supporting fingers projecting from said surface portions in axially aligned relationship parallel to but spaced from the alignment axis of said first set of fingers;

first and second rotatable cam means respectively cooperative with said first and second sets of fingers to clamp skis firmly therebetween; said first cam means being disposed intermediately in the space between said first set of finger and said second cam means being disposed intermediately in the space between said second set of fingers;

said frame means surface portions and hence disposed substantiallyperpendicular to the plane of the base surface of a ski abutting against said surface p o s; a

said first cam means being positioned with its rotational axis located between the alignment axis for said first and second setsof fingers, whereby, when one ski of a pair is positioned with one of its side edges abutting against said first set of fingers, and said first cam means is rotated about its rotational axis, said first cam means edge surface 'will be moved into engagement of the other side edge of 'such ski to thereby firmly clamp ,said'ski against said first set of fingers; i a

said second cam means being positioned with its rotational axis spaced beyond the alignment axis of said second set of fingers by a distance exceeding the transverse width of the skis to be held and trans ported, whereby, when the other of the skis of a pair is positioned with one of its side edges abutting against said second set of fingers, and said second cam means is rotated about its rotational axis, said second cam means edge surface will be moved into engagement with the other side edge of such ski to thereby firmly am a d sk a a st sa v second set of fingers.

2. The improvement defined in claim 1 wherein the rotationalaxis of each of said cam means is located eccentrieally thereof.

3. The improvement defined in claim 2 wherein each of said cam means edge surfaces is formed: by a plurality of interconnected linear portions.

4. The improvement defined in claim l further in- 419 eluding spaced apart ski pole supporting projections extending from 'said frame means along two parallel'axes whichare also parallel to saidfinger alignment axes,

and a rotatable polygonal cam member positioned 'between said two parallel axes and operative to clamp ski poles against said projections. V 5. The improvement defined in claim. 4 wherein two parallel edges of said polygonal cam member are longer than any other edges thereof, thereby making saidpoly onal cam member of oblong configuration.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,045,594, 11 /1912 Nyberg. 2,776,856 1 /1957 Ingram 294-101 X 2,956,812 1011960 Lundquist.

v 2,956,813v 10/1960 Madden.

3,225,987 12/1965 Bonner 22445 3,248,027 4/ 19 66 Pfleider .22445 6 O Ai P mary Examiner.

F- E. WERNER, Assistant Examine 

